Process of retarding stiffening of bread



Patented May 30, 1950 PROCESS OF RETARDING STIFFENING OF BREAD Norman F. Johnston, East Norwalk, Conn; dedicated to the People of the United States of America, by R. T. Vanderbilt (30., Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York, assignee Application May 3, 1947, Serial No. 745,738

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to the production of improved bread, rolls and sweet yeast-raised bakery products, and more particularly relates to the production of such bakery products that ery that bread and similar products can be made significantly softer and their rate of staling considerably retarded by adding to the dough during the mixing period a suitably modified polyremain soft and fresh longer. 5 hydric partial ester of a higher fatty acid.

The housewife, as has been established by By modified partial esters I mean partial esmarketing research, commonly selects bread on ters whose hydrophilic character has been enthe basis of softness. A hard or firm feeling loaf hanced by the introduction of additional hydroxyl of bread she adjudges stale even though it may or oxyalkylene groups. Such groups may be inbe less than twelve hours from the oven. As a troduced by reaction of the partial ester with an consequence of this tendency most commercial alkylene oxide as described in detail in U. S. Patbakers do everything possible to make their ents 1,959,930 and 1,970,578. Esters modified in products soft. this manner are said to be catenylated. The al- Stale bread is sometimes sold at a discount but kylene oxide may be reacted with a sugar or polyeven this does not use up a stores supply and hydric alcohol and the product obtained submuch of it is returned to the baker to be used jected to partial esterification, with a higher up as bread crumbs or sold as animal food. Such fatty acid. Such an ester is said to be a dendro practices are wasteful and expensive and the compound. Polymerized diols, triols, tetrols, baker is always concerned with better ways of etc., which have been partially esterified, make up solving the stale-return problem. another class of modified esters.

Soft bread is commonly produced by keeping The valuable anti-staling agents of my invenbaking time to a minimum, by adjusting the tion are all modified esters of the straight-chain formula used and by mixing, fermenting and .monocarboxylic acids having 12 or more carbon handling the dough in such a way that the gas atoms with polyhydric alcohols (such as diols, formed by the yeast is held in small cells having triols, tetrols, pentitols, hexitols) and their anvery thin cell walls. Mineral dough conditioners, hydride-s (such as hexitans and hexides), with malt y p and invert y p are ingredients Often alkylene oxide treated sugars or polyhydric alused r p ng softness. cohols, and with polymerized polyhydric alcohols Stal n in bread is accomplished y a n m- (such as polyethylene glycol, polyglycerol, etc.) be? of changes- Thus, the loaf becomes P 3 The mono esters in general are most effective sively firmer, the crumb feels firmer, drier and t t t and higher partial esters may be o friable, a the flavor g d y Changesutilized by increasing the proportion of hydroxyl Rate of staling can be measured most satisfacor oxyalkylene groups through a higher degree torily by recording the increase in firmness of 0f modification the crumb by some mechanical means, but meth- The modified partial esters may be convenods measuring the decrease in ability of the crumb iently classified in three groups according to their to absorb water and the decrease in its soluble mode of preparation starch content have also been used.

The actual mechanism of bread staling has Group IPaTtZally termed dendm polyhydmxy been studied for nearly one hundred years and compounds is still not definitely known. It was early proved, Emample.--6-dendro glucose monostearate however, that staleness is independent of moishe th e tion product of one l of mt Content, for bread a ed in comp te y moiscase and 6 moles of ethylene oxide has been esture-proof containers would still go stale. Later terified ith one m 1 of t ri id gg pomted toward an exchang? of water Group II.-Catenylated partial esters of long ween the starch and gluten fractions of the Chain heme acids with 01 h dram com bread as the causative factor. These theories 0 d p p y y have since been considered of doubtful accuracy p an s and the most recent theories suggest that stal- Emample-fsorbltan monostearate catfmyl ing is caused by a chemical or physical change ethylene X1de where one mole sorbltan in the starch fraction alone. This fact, together monosteara'te been condensed Wlth 20 moles with the observation that a loaf of stale bread acof ethylene oxldequires freshness on heating indicates to me that Group III.-Partial esters of aliphatic acids with bread stallng depends on changes in the starchpolymerized polyhydfic alcohols water relat1onsh1p. The starchwater relat1onship is known to change in starch pastes them- Example-Nonaethylene glycol monostearate. selves which retrograde or set-up with age and To distinguish between esters of Group I and it is quite likely that the same thing occurs to esters of Group II the terms dendro, and the partially gelatinized starch in a loaf of bread. "catenyl have been utilized in their nomencla- The present invention is based on the discovture. Dendro is used where the polyhydrio alescapee 6-dendro glucose monostearate Nonaethylene glycol monostearate Nonaethylene glycol monooleate Sorbitan monostearate, 20 catenyl ethylene oxide 6-dendro glucose monostearate, e catenyi ethylene oxide fi-dendro glucose monostearate, 20 catenyl ethyl= ene oxide Sorbitan monolaurate, 20 catenyl ethylene oxide Sorbitan monostearate,

oxide Sorbitan monostearate, 1d catenyl ethylene oxide Sorbitan monostearate, l4 catenyl ethylene oxide Sorbitan monostearate, l2 catenyl ethylene oxide Sorbitan monostearate, l catenyl ethylene oxide Sorbitan monostearate, 8 catenyl ethylene oxide Sorbitan monostearate, 6 catenyl ethylene oxide Sorbitan monostearate, 4 catenyl ethylene oxide Sorbitan monostearate, 50 catenyl ethylene oxide Sorbitan monostearate, 100 catenyl ethylene oxide 6-dendro propylene glycol glucoside monostearate 6-dendr0 propylene glycol glucoside distearate 6-dendro propylene glycol glucoside tetrastearate Polymerized glycol dioleate Polymerized diglycol stearate sorbitan monostearate, 10 catenyl propylene oxide G-dendro sorbitan monostearate -dendro sorbitan monostearate 6-dendro sorbitan monolaurate G-dendro glucose tetrastearate.

l8 catanyl ethylene Some of the esters, the 6-dendro glucose monostearate, fo example, are hard waxy substances which before being applied according to my invention must first be rendered soft and plastic as by hydration. In the case of the B-dendro glucose monostearate I generally achieve the desired softening by thoroughly mixing the ester with twice its weight of water in a high speed mixing device, a Waring Blendor, for example. Alternatively, the softening may be achieved by adding the melted ester to the water, warmed to a temperature of about 160 F. and continuously stirring the mixture while cooling to room temperature.

Of the modified esters specifically named herein, I particularly prefer, because of the especially good results I have attained therewith, G-dendro glucose monostearate, the compound just discussed above, and nonaethylene glycol monostearate. The physical nature of the latter compound is such that it does not require any preliminary treatment before use,

A small quantity only of the modified ester is required to make the bread softer and retard its rate of staling. Thus, amounts ranging from 0.5% to 2% on the weight of the flour in the formula have been found to yield particularly good results. Amounts ranging from about 0.1% to about 3.5% are useful. Any type of yeastraised bakery product prepared according to the invention will be much softer than normal and will retain its freshness and softness for several days longer.

The following examples, submitted in illustration of the invention, are not to be taken as in any way limitative of the scope thereof.

EXAMPLEI This example illustrates the manufacture of a white pan bread according to the invention.

Foams Sponge Dough 60 lbs. hard wheat flour 36 lbs. water 40 lbs. hard wheat flour 251 water yeast yeast (00d PROCED U RB Sponge Dissolve the yeast in a portion of the water (72 F.) and add to mixer, along with flour, yeast food and the balance of the water. Mix Just enough to make a homogeneous mass, dump into a trough and ferment for 5% hours at 72 1''.

Dough Return fermented sponge to mixer, add all the dough ingredients including the dendro compound and mix until smooth. Allow to stand about 15 minutes, divide, round, allow to stand again, mold, pan, proof at 95 F. to top 01' pans and bake at 420 F. until uniformly brown,- about 30 minutes withsteam in oven. Cool slowly to room temperature and wrap in moisture-proof paper.

EXAMPLE II This example illustrates the invention as applied to the production of sweet yeast-raised dough for coffee cake, tea rings and the like.

Flavoring, to suit Pnocrnrmr Cream the malt, sugar, salt and shortening. Add the eggs gradually and cream until light. Add the flavoring and modified ester. Dissolve the yeast in a quarter of the milk. Place the balance of the milk in the bowl with the creamed mass and stir well to dissolve the ingredients. Add the bread flour and start mixing. Pour in the yeast solution, add the pastry flour and continue mixing until smooth. Have the dough at F. when mixed. Allow dough to rise to full punch, then take to bench in 15 minutes. Scale,

asoa'eae make up into desired shapes, proof to double their size and bake.

EXAMPLEIII This example illustrates the invention as applied to the production of buns or rolls such as are used for hamburgers and "hot dogs."

Dissolve yeast in some of the water, then place in mixer with all the other ingredients. Mix until smooth and well developed. Dough should be 78 F. when taken from mixer. Ferment approximately as follows: First rise 1% hours, second rise 45 minutes and then work of! in another 15 minutes.

If sealed at 18 g. per dozen, this batch makes approximately 12 dozen rolls.

The dendro compound of Example I gives similar results when substituted in the above formula.

EXAMPLE IV Three six-loaf batches of bread adapted from a commercial formula were prepared and tested for rate of staling or hardening with a compressimeter. The first batch was a control containing no anti-staling agents, the second comprised .5% of dendro glucose monostearate (anhydrous basis) and the third 5% of nonaethylene glycol monostearate.

All the bread was baked by a standard pro oedure, cooled in an air-conditioned cabinet. wrapped in moistureprooi' cellophane and loaves of identical size measured for softness of crumb at predetermined intervals. Results of the test are shown by the accompanying graph in which the staleness, expressed as firmness in grams stress per 2.5 millimeters strain, is plotted against the number or days ageing and in which line A refers to the control bread, line B to the bread prepared with the addition oi the dendro compoundandlinectcthebrecdi m dwiththe addition of the nonaethylene glycol monostearate.

I claim:

1. In the preparation of yeast-raised bakery products, the method of decreasing rate of staling which comprises mixing into the dough a small amount of a material selected from the group consisting of reaction products of a polyhydroxy compound and an alkylene oxide which have been partially esterified with a. straight chain monocarboxylic acid having at least 12 carbon atoms and reaction products of an alkylene oxide and a partial ester of a polyhydroxy compound and a straight-chain monocarboxylic acid having at least 12 carbon atoms.

2. In the preparation of yeast-raised bakery products, the method of decreasing rate of staling which comprises mixing into the dough in an amount equivalent to about 0.5% to 2% of the weight of the flour in the dough a material selected from the group consisting of reaction products of a polyhydroxy compound and an alkylene oxide which have been partially esterifled with a straight chain monocarboxylic acid having at.

least 12 carbon atoms and reaction products of an alkylene oxide and a partial ester of a polyhydroxy compound and a straight-chain monocarboxylic acid having at least 12 carbon atoms.

3. In the preparation of yeast-raised bakery products, the method of decreasing rate of staling which comprises mixing into the dough an amount or plasticized s-oxyethylene glucose monostearate equivalent to about 0.5% to 2% o! the weight or the flour in the dough.

NORMAN F. JOHNSTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

OTHER REFERENCES Atlas spans and Tweens, Indus. Chem.,Dept..

Atlas Powder (30., June 1945, pages 1, 2. 

1. IN THE PREPARATION OF YEAST-RAISED BAKERY PRODUCTS, THE METHOD OF DECREASING RATE OF STALING WHICH COMPRISES MIXING INTO THE DOUGH A SMALL AMOUNT OF A MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF REACTION PRODUCTS OF A POLYHYDROXY COMPOUND AND AN ALKYLENE OXIDE WHICH HAVE BEEN PARTIALLY ESTERIFIED WITH A STRAIGHT CHAIN MONOCARBOXYLIC ACID HAVING AT LEAST 12 CARBON ATOMS AND REACTION PRODUCTS OF AN ALKYLENE OXIDE AND A PARTIAL ESTER OF A POLYHYDROXY 